Tuesday Chit Chat

The things you find when you're not really looking! I paper pieced these bears paw blocks about 10 years ago and didn't even finish quilting it. There is only one set of paws that aren't done so that will be a snap. That's probably what I said right about the time I put it aside and started something else. Impulse control much Dee???

The pansies are making a riot of color this year. Usually we have gotten the little violas or mini pansies but this year Roger picked up a bunch of beauties of the large variety. This particular color, what would you call it, violet is so intense that in the twilight it looks like it's glowing. Reminds me of the way moonflowers look in the moonlight and early dawn. Very ethereal. So pretty.

Thanks for your comments on the diamonds mini but I have to say my favorite comment is from one of my favorite people and I can't stop thinking about those hypnotized chickens of Terry's. I wonder how that works although I can't imagine it would be hard to hypnotize a creature with a brain the size of a pea. It does make for a fun thought though. A whole fence full of hypnotized chickens-that's funny! Our neighbor across the street has chickens and at least one rooster since I hear him every morning welcoming the day. I know some people find that annoying but I really like the sound of a rooster crowing.

If you get a chance you should hop over to Jodi's blog, The Carolina Quilter and check out the quilt she made for her church on just about a moments notice. That girl is amazing at thread painting and just about everything else. Beautiful work Jodi. Jodi is a Bernina sewing machine dealer in Inman, North Carolina and her business is doing well but she still finds time to make something beautiful "in her spare time". I know she's chuckling at that one.

I better get myself moving. I have a few stops to make today and I like to get out before the crowd and the temps are supposed to go into the 70s today. That's ten degrees higher than I would like and the stores seem to be trying to save on A/C. by attempting to suffocate their customers. Great retail thinking. Let's see...can we make the store airless and hot and the prices very high and then lower them and call it a sale???!!!! Don't get me started on retail shopping in 2008.

Talk to you soon.

Chickens and diamonds

Because I adore you all so much and want to make your day a happy one, I want you to click over to Deb's blog and check out the fun. Go on...I'll wait....Jeopardy music............. Oh your back! Isn't she the funniest? For that matter, chickens are just hilarious without doing a thing. I'm always amazed at the sense of humor exhibited by nature. You just know that whatever the plan was for chickens, someone had a fabulous sense of humor that day.

And now, for something completely different-Above you will see my little harlequin mini blocks. I was looking for something different to do the other day and a thought popped into my feeble brain. Why not elongate a square block into a diamond...Duh! I had some scraps from something else and just sewed up a bunch of blocks. Don't know what's to become of this-I was just playing around as usual. It needs something different for a border-I'll let it age a little and think about it tomorrow(Scarlett)

I'm going to do some never-ending laundry and ironing and then relax with a movie or book. Haven't decided yet.

Talk to you later.

Friday catch-up

I put these two small things together and they now await borders and any interesting finishes I can come up with. Mostly I can't believe it's Friday again. What's up with that? I'd say time flies when you're having fun but um...no. I haven't been feeling well the past few days and have kind of pushed myself to do anything. Some days I feel like I could tackle anything and then I get a couple of days like the last few. Blah!

I am in the process of finding some things to wear for a trip coming up in the not too distant future. We will be in a place where it's way too hot for me. One of my dirty little secrets is that when people complain about the rain and cool I may outwardly sympathize but inside I'm cheering. Don't like heat and I can't sit in the sun at all so it holds no interest for me. When I was a young girl I would bake on the beach for hours and turn golden brown. No more for me. The medicine I take makes me burn almost instantly. Not just burn, but big watery blisters...ugh! The house we are renting has a pool and the relatives all live in Florida so no doubt they will revel in the pool and the sunny days. Roger enjoys the sun so he will enjoy. My idea of sitting in the sun would be more like being covered from legs to head with stuff. So anyway, I'm trying to find some stuff to wear that won't look too stupid on me. Not an easy task. While I'm not a moose, neither am I a delicate little person. I cannot tell you how stupid I look in Capri or cropped pants. My legs are short and I look like a cartoon character who has high water pants. Really dumb. Not going there. I have linen pants in multiple colors which will have to do. They are, in fact, my fav pants and I have two new pair from last year I haven't even hemmed yet. I need some light tees and cool tops. Also on the list is a robe and some new jammies. I will head out next week and see what I can find. Land's End is my fall-back option. I got some great tees recently from them. We'll see what comes up. I need to consider what to take for handwork and will probably take some redwork in an effort to look busy and not make eye contact.

My initial response to this adventure was not positive for several reasons I can't go into here. Family drama-nuff said. My husband has suggested to me that I view it as theatre, which is what I usually say to him when faced with this type of thing. So, I will now view it with theatre in mind. I plan to take the camera, of course, so I can give you all a glimpse of crazy when we get back. Anyway, all of this isn't happening for a good while so I'll keep you posted. Looking for clothes is about as painful for me as surgery. I hate it with a passion. Clothes today are made for tiny little women with tiny little tushies and cute, perky boobs. W

Well I'm off to the mighty Viking to do some sewing after I give the place a once over with the Super Sucker. The dust has become dramatic. Talk to you soon.

Friends..near & far.

Thanks for the nice things you had to say to me. My mantra for the near future is, I will not wallow, I will not wallow, I will not wallow. That takes the place of a recent promise not to snicker about the Bushtit- made to my friend Terry Grant who is much more mature than I am. See her blog for explanations. Sometimes I really need to be followed around by an old, very large, Nun with an equally large ruler.

I love cartoons, both drawn and on T.V. I am blessed with a son who grew up with cartoons and was given the gift of the ability to mimic voices. My son does a perfect Cartman and although now that his voice has changed and it is harder for him, he would still sing "Sail Away" if I begged him. That still makes me fall down screaming. I thought this cartoon was very amusing.

Anyway, my sweet friend Dorothy in Vermont tagged me for 7 weird things and I think I've done that a couple of times. Of course I could do it several more times an not run out of things to list but just how strange does one want to reveal themselves to be in print?

So instead I am going to deviate from the norm(what else is new) and list 7 things that I am grateful for. I will leave out the customary things that we all adore like husbands and children and even BILs named Bob. This is strictly a list of things that make me happy to be alive.

1. Lemon blueberry Cake from the Copenhagen Bakery.(what? you didn't think food would be last did you?).

2. Music. There is almost nothing that moves me and defines my mood like music. My taste is very eclectic. It runs from Mozart to Pink Floyd and Jamiroqui to Charlie Parker.

3. Time. Even though I often waste it shamefully I am keenly aware of how fortunate I am to be able to have time to do nearly anything.

4.Goldfinches. Several years ago I discovered Goldfinches. My husband is probably sorry that I did since his sole purpose in life is to work to support the Goldfinch population of out Village-all of whom live outside in my yard eating us out of house, home and retirement savings.

5. I am grateful for every day that I am well enough not to have to deal with doctors. They scare the crap out of me. That God- syndrome thing is horrible to deal with. It has become blood-pressure-spike-inducing to deal with medicine men.

6. I am grateful for reaching this age and finding so many women to share the experience with. There is something wonderful about the company of women. Especially at this age. We are mostly over the angst of hormones stuff and younger women's issues so we can just compare notes and laugh about stuff. Watching young mothers is especially fun.A lot of their percieved problems are so amusing, they just don't know it yet.

7. on/off buttons-so I can turn off people like Rev. Wright-he serves no purpose except to insight anger and hatred. The on button can be used for good like this morning when I turned on the radio and discovered that The trouble-making gasbag Al Sharpton-while inside causeing a public nuisance and trying to drum up a race riot-had his Jaguar towed to an impound lot. The only thing that would have given me more pleasure would have been if they ran over Rev. Wright on the way. Someone explain to me why these hate-filled idiots always hide themselves behind the mantel of the church?

Anyone can play-consider yourself tagged and don't write me any snarky comments about my political opinions. I never do that kind of thing on here but those two are just begging for it. A public flogging would be too good for them.

Well, if you're still with me, I hope your day is a sweet one.

Let's Ponder the Possibilities

Ponder what you say? If I only had a brain. Why ponder at all you may say? Because once, long ago in a place far, far, away people came to me to make decisions and I would tell them what to do and it was good They admired my ability to organize work problems...and they told me so. The thing I may not want to ponder too much is how long ago that was. I was walking on the treadmill watching a chapter of the Sopranos on A&E and waiting for my almost 24 year old son to return from a Doctors appointment(it's allergy season to the max-he needs an inhaler poor guy) when I got to thinking about life...pondering, as it were, why it is that I can't stick to a single thing, finish a single thing, or concentrate on one thing till completion or basically organize anything. If I were my previously organized self, I would have planned how many fat quarters I had and in fact planned a quilt. Funny thing is, if it's a gift, I can organize and finish. What's up with that?

I think it has a little to do with letting go, which is a recurring theme in my life but would be really stupid in this case. The possibility exists that it had something to do with lack of concentration and a return to child-like behavior(shut up back there). The problem was I didn't really have a childhood and maybe I'm looking for it now. Case in point-Those stars I've been making. They're fun and pretty fast and I would love to have a piece on the wall like that but instead I justify my fun by saying I'll give it as a gift. Somewhere in the straw that passes for brains I have convinced myself that it's ok to make someone a gift as long as the someone isn't me. I thought for a while that it was some hormonal side effect and it turns out that it's just...well...me. I fear being happy. That comes from childhood and serious major lies and disappointments. You would think at this age I could get a grip on that but most of the time I'm really afraid of happiness. Imagine me talking about happiness with my head down and in a whisper in case the gods hear me and shoot me a wake-up kick in the ass. Imagine someone telling a table full of people that they never had a car accident. I would have to clamp my hand over their mouth and make them say sorry out loud three times. That's just asking for a Karmic slap in the head. So along with being finishing challenged, I'm superstitious. Gad...color me hopeless.

Back to the stars- in making them I rounded up all the fat quarters I could find in the Closet of Shame and realized that over the course of the last year I have dramatically reduced the fat quarter stash to nearly nothing(again..settle down you) Not that I don't have any. There are many of them but not the ones in a packet from Keepsake. I used to save them for the illusive shrouded-in-fog someday. Now I find that I have used and given so many as gifts that there is not only a dent in the stash but a gaping hole where all my interesting fabric used to be. Horrors! I could have belonged to Judy Laquidara's stash busting group and I didn't even know it. I may try to alleviate this sad situation soon by visiting places on trips and re-stocking the stash while trying to avoid the family drama. The only thing there to ponder is how low I will hide my head in shame and whisper.. Yippee!

As an after thought I wanted to answer the comments about having a cook-it is the best and he's very good at it. He worked his way to a Masters Degree in Engineering in a delicatessen. His potato salad alone makes me swoon-not to mention him

Libby made a comment about having wanted pen pals as a kid. She's right. This reminds me of that very thing. It's very much like having pen pals and in so many places-blogging is very much fun.

Random weekend thoughts

I hate to keep showing the same boring thing but the madder and red colored blocks are what I'm up to right now. I need to find a large space to lay out the Lavender Passion blocks for sewing and I just can't find one that I can leave things laid out for a couple of days. The hearts above are one of the first things I made and they are...da, da, dah...applique. That was probably 15-16 years ago. There was this company that you could buy pre-cut squares of multiple fabrics by a company. It was kind of a crap-shoot in terms of getting what you wanted but back then there were no Packets of 5 inch squares in one line. The end result was that I got some nice pieces to use in mini paper pieced blocks and I still have the many ugly squares that I never used still hanging around. At that time I was discovering what I liked best to do and hadn't tried applique. My eyes were a lot clearer than now so I think I did a pretty good job. Always keeping in the back of my mind my grandmother shaking her finger at me for poorly done stitching. I made the applique hearts by ironing them onto freezer paper(ouch-nothing like steaming ones fingers a bunch) and the other method I used was to sew them to used dryer sheets-slit the back and turn them them applique them down. Lots of prep work. The quilt I donated to Quilts of Valor was all done this way. I sewed those blocks while my friend's husband was in intensive care and I watched her kids. This one was made with left over blocks and is only wall hanging size.

I'm making the stars for a birthday gift for a friend. First I put together 4 blocks and then I thought better of it and am now enlarging it to nine blocks. I should say I'm thinking of enlarging it. Why is it that I don't think a sweet little 4-block mini is enough. This is how I get in trouble and bogged down.

On a pleasant note, I received a very nice comment from a lady whose name is un-clear to me but I think she is a patron of the Library and knows my best buddy Terry, who works there. I hope she knows how very nice it is to have someone say such kind things. Many thanks to her and, in fact to everyone who is kind enough to leave a comment. You all make my day much brighter. I can't get over how cool it is to get comments from all over the country and, even such far away places as Japan and Italy. What a hoot! I always think of what I would do if I won the lottery- I'd try to visit everyone, everywhere. Don't panic people...I haven't bought a lottery ticket for years so you're all safe....for now that is.

My husband made the most delicious BBQ ribs last night for dinner and I think my BIL Bob is getting take-out for tonight so I'm free of cooking for today. This may be as good as it gets!

mmmmNaan & random thoughts about 60

Still working on the stars I showed yesterday so not much else to show that's quilty.

I found this old photo of our Main St. from the early 1900s. It's a bit narrower now and the trolley doesn't run anymore but that left side looks a lot like the picture. The trolley lines are still there. They think it gives the village a quaint look. They're right.

I'm probably the last one to the party about Naan but I recently made some pizza on it and it's really good. I blatantly lifted the pic from on-line images I found so...sorry, All things Naan. It comes in flavors like garlic and whole wheat as well but for me, I like mine straight. Load it up with anything you would put on pizza dough and in to the oven for 10 minutes at 400 or so. Check on the time-I'm not positive. It's very delicious and the naan is about personal pizza size, two in a bag so perfect for us.

Regarding yesterdays entry about the blueberry bush/tree or whatever it decides to be. My husband made me laugh by telling me that at first he was going to document it's re-birth from first green shoot to leaf to flower to bee on flower to the single blueberry being plucked and eaten by either squirrel or bird at perfect ripeness. It's a heartbreaking saga and would undoubtedly play out exactly that way around here. The wildlife rules the yard. It would only have made him sad, what with Roger being the real blueberry lover around here. The way I am about apple trees(well, fruit trees in general)he is about blueberries.

Last night I finished reading the last chapter in a book by Nora Ephron called "I Feel Bad About My Neck". I've been a sort of Ephron fan for a long time. Ever since she wrote "Heartburn", the story of her crumbling marriage to Carl Bernstein many years ago. She has since made a really good life for herself and is the writer of such movies as "Sleepless in Seattle", "Michael", "Silkwood", "When Harry Met Sally" and she wrote the screenplay for the movie of her own book, "Heartburn". I really liked that movie and the book and it confirmed what many had said for years about Carl Bernstein-he was a dog...a dirty low-down dog. Who better to play him than Jack Nicholson. Anyhoo...the last chapter in this small book is a short memo about turning 60. For heaven sake don't buy the book-it's $13. and really not worth it except for that last piece. Since I was born in 1948(gaaaad)I will be 60 all too soon. Some of what she says regarding 60 is in-your-face and makes you think too much but there is a part about denial which fits me to a T. 60...who me???? Another part I liked was , even though it's stating the obvious, that this is the time in our lives when we shouldn't worry about pisant stuff. Like in her case, the cost of a special bottle of bath oil. She asks us, do you really think it will be in our last thoughts on earth how much we spent on that bath oil? Well, that kind of where I'm coming from lately. I am blessed to be able to have the life I do. My husband reminds me all the time that I should be good to myself. Go Ahead and get it. That's his mantra a lot of the times. What am I waiting for? The Golden Years? Hello! They're here now. These moments are golden-right now. That's kind of what has possessed me lately to use the fabric I have stashed in The Closet Of Shame. I had so many fat quarter packs that I was saving for who knows what and guess who has only one quilt hanging on her wall in the whole house????? memememe. Dumb, really dumb. Who knows what will happen in the years to come. Use it up and find some more if it gives you pleasure. (Note, if you could see Roger now he's probably wiping his head with a handkerchief and clutching his heart and wallet)

I must stop sounding like the crabby old broad who will hit you with her cane if you annoy her. I'm really a happy person most of the time. Maybe I should look for a cane now just for fun though. I think we have some from my MIL Dot around somewhere. I can think of some people who could use a good whacking and since I would only be carrying it for effect and due to my daily treadmill work-outs, I could probably run pretty fast now. That sounds like a real pick-me-up. Whacking! yes sir, that's the ticket.

Look out behind you and for Pete sake keep it moving!